Christmas Trees and Old Frenemies
by SharpayRocksTheStage
Summary: Will the romance of falling snow, burning fires, and decorated trees be able to bring together two people who have hated each other for five years? TROYPAY
1. Did you tell him? Did you tell her?

Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

His bags were packed, by the door and ready to go, and he still had three hours until the taxi picked him up. He was just so excited about his trip. He was going to spend Christmas with two of his best friends from high school, Ryan and Gabriella Evans, formally Gabriella Montez. Ryan and Gabriella had gotten married when they were nineteen and had been together ever since. They were happy. They had a big house, good jobs, and a three-year-old son. They were living the life they had always dreamed of.

And here he was, five years after high-school, and five years since he had physically seen any one of his classmates. Well, except one. He hadn't actually talked to her, but he had seen her in a Broadway musical about eight months ago. Sharpay Evans had not changed at all, at least not physically. She was still skinny, blonde, and a bit obnoxious, so it seemed. Nope, she definitely hadn't changed.

The honk of a horn woke Troy out of his thoughts, and made him jump. Ever since he graduated from NYU, he hadn't moved back home, so here he was, in jolly-old New York City. It was a wonder that he and Sharpay had never run into each other, in such small quarters. While he was at NYU, she graduated from Juilliard and went on to be a Broadway star, no surprises there. He used to hear and see her name everywhere, but lately it seemed as though she just disappeared.

Sitting on the couch that afternoon, Troy Bolton thought about his life. Even though he was living in New York now, he had thought lately about moving back to Albuquerque and taking a coaching job at East High. For some reason, he felt as though he belonged back at East High; that was where all of his happiest moments had happened. As a freshman, he had gotten his first kiss, though from the most unexpected person, quite enjoyable. As a sophomore, he was voted basketball team captain. As a junior he had gotten his first girlfriend, though it only lasted a few weeks. And as a senior…wow, that year had been eventful. In Troy's senior year, he dated the hottest girl in school…Sharpay Evans.

Over the previous summer, Troy went out with Gabriella again at the country club, but after that summer, the fire died. Sharpay had finally given up on Troy, but he could tell that she still liked him, so he gave her a chance. She turned out to be very sweet and lovable, but that was only a side that Troy got to see. He told her he loved her, many times actually, and he did. Now, he regrets not speaking to her or visiting her after the summer before college.

Another honk outside of his apartments took Troy out of his thoughts. He looked out the window to see a taxi waiting outside for him, so he grabbed his bags and ran down the cement stairs outside. Once he had thrown his bags into the back of the small car, he climbed into the backseat and directed the man on where to go. The ride to the airport was a quiet one. For some reason, Troy could not get the image of his high-school sweetheart out of his head. He remembered all the times they went on dates, all the times they kissed, and all the times they…yeah, he definitely remembered those times. She was the only girl then and she was the only girl now. His cab pulled up outside the airport and, after paying the driver, Troy walked in to find his plane.

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"Mr. Evans?" the secretary called from outside of the large office.

"Yes, Stephanie?"

"Your wife is on line one for you. She said it's important."

"Thank you… Hello?...Hey babe…Yeah, I'll pick him up…don't forget, I also have to pick up Troy at the airport…ok, I love you…bye." The man stood up, grabbed his coat and briefcase and walked out of the office. "Stephanie, I'm leaving for the day. You can go ahead and take off too if you would like."

"Thank you. Have a nice Christmas Ryan!" And with that, the skinny blonde man opened the door and stepped out into the cold, winter afternoon.

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"_It's going to be a cold one tonight, Fred. Probably the coldest of the winter."_ The weatherman said on the television at the grocery store. The young Hispanic woman was brought back from her thoughts when the cashier had finished ringing her up.

"Thank you, Mrs. Evans."

"Thank you." Gabriella Evans took her cart full of groceries and walked out the door, just to be hit in the face with a cold blast of air. "I don't know how we're going to survive tonight. They don't know each other are coming, and someone is going to have to sleep on the couch." She thought to herself as she loaded the groceries into the back of her car.

Once she was inside and away from the cold, she just sat there for a moment. "This should be an interesting Christmas."

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"IT'S THE PEDAL ON THE RIGHT JACKASS!" she didn't know why she was in such a bad mood, but she was just really anxious to get out of this awful New York traffic.

She looked up and saw the billboard for her new show: _Legally Blonde_. _'Sharpay Evans as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical' _is what it said exactly. And then there was a huge picture of her sporting her 'omigosh' face. She was really glad that she had gotten this role because it a female empowerment role_. _The last role she played was a prostitute in _Moulin Rouge._ She had so much fun playing that role as well, but it was time for a change.

As she accidentally passed up the turn for the airport, she mumbled a few curses and then quickly turned around the next chance she got.

Her flight didn't land back in Albuquerque until one o'clock their time, so she had a while until she would get to see her brother and sister-in-law. The last time she had been home was just less than a year ago when her mother died. She never would have thought that she'd be standing here right now, checking in her bags getting ready to fly back home.

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"Troy! Long time no see!" Ryan Evans hugged his friend and then stepped back to take a look at him. "Wow, all that basketball must really be helping. You're like twice the size that you used to be!"

"Yeah, I have grown a bit, but what about you? The big DAD. I'm so happy for you! And how's Gabi?" Troy Bolton said as Ryan led him out to the car.

"She's great."

"Good."

"So, are you still living in the Evans' mansion?"

"Nah, Gabi and I went for something more conventional. Shar owns the house and everything now. You know she's the big money-maker in the family. Have you seen her?" Troy swallowed at the blonde's name

"I mean, I've seen her in shows and everything but I've never spoken to her. I tried once, but it didn't work out. She refused to see me." Ryan could tell that it was a sensitive subject, but didn't know why. He decided to change the subject anyway.

"Are there any women in your life?"

"Nope, not since senior year. I just can't find time for a girlfriend anymore." This was the excuse he always used. He couldn't very well say: there's a girl I have loved all my life and I haven't spoken to her in five years, now could he?

"Wow, dude. Ah, here we are!" Ryan and Troy got out of the car and carried Troy's bag in. Once they had put his stuff in the guest bedroom, they went to find Gabriella in the kitchen. Troy snuck up behind her and poked her in the side, causing her to squeal."

"Troy, it's so good to see you! How have you been since high school?" she hugged him and then got back to cooking.

"Great! Basically basketball 24/7."

"Some things never change." She smiled at him and then turned to her husband. "Can I speak with you for a minute?" Once they had walked into the living room, she began. "Did you tell him?"

"I couldn't"

"Ryan!"

"Did you tell her?" Gabriella looked at him sheepishly.

"I couldn't. She was just so happy to be coming home and I couldn't spoil that for her. Ryan, she's finally happy again. Maybe we should just find somewhere else for one of them to stay."

"We can't do that Gabi. We promised them both a great Christmas. Sharpay and Troy will just have to get over their differences. I'm sure we'll find a way through this." They heard someone clear their throat behind them.

"Umm, I'm going to go to bed. I've had a long day." As quick as he came, he disappeared. Ryan and Gabriella went back into the kitchen.

"Gabi, we'll tell them in the morning, after they've had a good night's rest."

"But what about when you get home with Shar tonight. Don't you think she'll wonder why she has to sleep on the couch?"

"Shar always falls asleep on the way back to house from the airport. She'll be so exhausted that I'll probably have to carry her in. There's nothing to worry about, I promise." He kissed her and went into the bedroom to get a couple of hours of sleep until he had to pick Shar up.

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"Ryan!! I'm so happy to see you!" the blonde twins stood in the airport and hugged. "It's been too long. And the last time I was here things weren't really under the best circumstances."

"I know. But you're here now, and this Christmas is going to be great."

"I know, Ry. I just have a feeling that something's not right." She laid her head on his shoulder as they walked out of the terminal doors and into the bitter cold.

Once they were in the car and the heat was turned on high. Sharpay snuggled up in her seat and, as Ryan had predicted, fell asleep. She slept the whole way there, only opening her eyes once when Ryan lifted her out of the car to take her inside.

Careful not to wake anybody up, he quietly, and one-handedly, unlocked the door, carried his sister inside the living room, laid her down on the couch, and covered her up with two blankets and a quilt. The quilt had been their mother's, and one of Sharpay's favorites.

Ryan leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, Shar." He smiled and walked into his own bedroom to let sleep overtake him.


	2. Why is HE here?

**Hey you guys! I'm soooooo sorry that it's been so long since I've updated any of my stories but my life has been seriously CRAZY… I'm also sorry that this chapter is so short but I figured something is better than nothing, so please read and review!!! Tootles!**

**-Haleigh-**

**Chapter 2**

The next morning, Sharpay and Troy, who were staying on separate sides of the house, were both awaken by the clanging sound of pots and pans in the kitchen. They got up and walked into the kitchen at the same time, being too tired to realize each other across the room. The whole Evans family was already sitting at the table while Gabriella cooked breakfast.

When Troy and Sharpay's eyes adjusted to the light, they looked across the room directly at each other and just stared for a moment. Sharpay spoke up: "I think the bartender put LSD in my drink last night, Ryan." She continued to stare into Troy's deep blue eyes…

"Why is that, Shar?" Ryan asked, trying not to burst out in laughter.

"Because I'm hallucinating." Troy responded to her inquiry, knowing that she was talking about him but deciding to change it up.

"No, you're not hallucinating, Sharpay, you really aren't wearing any clothes." He smiled as she looked down at herself and realized that she only had on boy shorts and a skimpy tank top. She glared at him and took a step forward.

"Speak for yourself, Bolton. I didn't know that Spongebob was back in style for guys your age." She peered down at his boxers which had Spongebob characters on them.

Gabriella could see that this was about to get really ugly, so she decided to step in, shoving a huge cup of coffee into her sister-in-law's hands, knowing she was practically living off of it with her busy schedule. "Why don't you two just sit down and we'll explain everything." The only problem was, the only two spots left at the table were right next to each other. Ryan laughed when he saw them both sit down on the edge of their seats, placing themselves as far away from each other as possible while still sitting.

When Gabriella got done with cooking breakfast, she went and sat down at the table with the rest of her family and guest. She could tell that Ryan and Troy were having an important conversation because they were talking very quietly compared to the way that Sharpay and Max, her three year old son, were talking about Jay-Jay the Jet-plane. Gabriella had always said that Sharpay would be a great mother but she had always disagreed, but seeing her now with Max on her lap letting him eat the bacon off of her own plate confirmed it for her.

She cleared her throat and the chaos stopped, making everyone look towards her. "I think that we have something to discuss." They all nodded and Sharpay turned to the little boy on her lap.

"Max, why don't you go in the living room and watch cartoons? Auntie Shar will be in there in a minute." She set him down and he ran off to the other room. "Okay, now what's going on here? Why is HE here?" She asked motioning toward Troy. Ryan started reluctantly.

"First off, Gabi and I would just like to say that we're sorry for this. We double-booked you on the same day and we couldn't get up the nerve to tell you." He finished and let Gabriella take it away.

"Troy, Ryan offered for you to stay with us because we thought that Sharpay was going to be in Paris with her-" Sharpay interrupted her.

"Can we not go there right now? It's kind of a sensitive subject." Troy eyed her suspiciously.

"Sorry, Shar. Anyway, we told both of you that you could stay and we only have one spare bed. Now, there is the couch, which Sharpay slept on last night, but that's it. It's up to ya'll now what to do." Ryan and Gabriella got up from the table and left the two alone to talk.

There was dead silence between the two of them for a little bit but then Troy spoke up. "I'll take the couch, I guess, and let you have the bed."

"There's no sense in that Troy. I'll just go stay in my house… It's not that big a deal." She went to get up when Troy caught her hand, touching her for the first time in five years.

"Are you going to be okay staying by yourself, Pay?" It seemed as though Troy was genuinely worried for her, but she figured that he was just trying to make it seem like he cared about what she did. She pulled her hand away roughly.

"I'll be fine." And that was the last thing she said to him before she packed up and left for the Evans' mansion.


	3. I know just the place!

**I am so so so sorry that I have not been updating like a loyal author!!! I am on extreme writer's block and my schedule is so so so busy!!! PLEASE R&R!**

**Chapter 3**

Sharpay texted Ryan as soon as she stepped into the doorway of the Evans' mansion as he requested. He was always worried about her when they weren't together, but sometimes he got a little overprotective. She didn't really know why she didn't just stay here in the first place for Christmas; Ryan's house just seemed more like home instead of a house.

She put her bags down inside the door and turned to flip the lights on. As she did, the whole front entrance lit up. She noticed that the decorators had come and put up all of the decorations for the holidays. The double staircase wound around the enormous tree and the banisters were wrapped in garland. But, even with all of the old memories, it still wasn't home to her.

She sighed heavily and walked up one side of the staircase to the double doors of the master bedroom. When her parents had stopped coming home altogether when she was sixteen, she had moved into the master bedroom and made it her own, but, for some reason, it seemed like the person who had designed this room seven years ago was a completely different person than the girl that stood in the dark doorway.

When she realized that she just couldn't stay in the house by herself, she called the first person that came to mind that wouldn't include her sharing a bathroom with her ex. The telephone rang three times and the she heard a young girl's voice pick up. "Hello?"

"Hey Avery, it's your Auntie Sharpay!" the four-year-old on the other line squealed with happiness. "Can I speak to your mommy please?" She heard Avery yell to her mom with her soft voice and an older woman picked up.

"Shar? What's up?"

"Oh my god, Kelsi! I've had the worst day of my life! I stayed at Ryan's last night but when I woke up; guess who I had to sit at the breakfast table with!"

"You got me!" Kelsi laughed quietly at her dramatic friend but stopped when she heard the next two words.

"Troy Bolton."

"Oh my god! Is he still alive?" Sharpay could tell that Kelsi had a hint of sarcasm in her voice but was confused anyway.

"Why wouldn't he be?"

"Well, I figured that you probably killed him after all of these years." She laughed quietly and Sharpay joined her, realizing how "kindergarten" she sounded.

"I know I'm being overly dramatic Kels, but it's been almost five years and I haven't heard a word from him." Sharpay lay down on her bed and gazed at the picture of her and Troy that was still placed on her bedside table. It was professionally taken in their backyard on the porch swing. It was one of their cutest pictures that they took together.

"I don't know what to tell you, Shar… You've been so busy, and it's not like you haven't had other guys. Especially since the accident, I think the last thing you need in your life is another man." Sharpay pondered this statement for a moment.

"Or maybe it's the first." Kelsi could hear the devious tone of the old Sharpay taking over her friend and snapped into action quickly.

"Shar! Whatever you are thinking, stop now! Can we not just have a peaceful Christmas this year?"

"Kelsi, you should know by now that Christmas with the Evans is never peaceful." Without saying goodbye, Sharpay hung up the phone, slipped on her new Burberry trench coat, grabbed her purse, and walked back out of the house.

One thing about Albuquerque was that the nightlife sucked if you weren't willing to work for it. Luckily for Sharpay, she was easy on the eyes so the guys were not hard to lure in.

Sharpay, in her mind, had the perfect plan. Troy Bolton was clueless about the past five years of her life, so why did he need to know anything. What she had to do is simple: she would find a guy who was hotter than Troy (if that was possible), and use him to bring out the green monster inside of Troy. She would take him to Christmas and make Troy feel awkward and show him just what he was missing. It was perfect.

Her heels clicked as she stepped out of her Range Rover rental and handed the keys to the valet. She had just pulled up to one of the best clubs in Albuquerque, and she was feeling fabulous. Her hair, half up, half down, and curly to the middle of her back, shone underneath the moonlight. It accented the diamonds hanging from her ears and her neck. You could tell that she was someone important, if you didn't already know who she was.

The luminescent lights flashed against her flesh and caused it to turn multiple colors. She smiled inwardly when it flashed a bright pink color, still after all of these years… As she looked around, she saw many guys looking her way, including one who she really didn't care to see. Troy Bolton was sitting alone at the bar (you would think he would be a chick magnet, but he was oddly turn-offish). She walked toward him and he plastered a smile on his face until he saw Sharpay get stopped by a guy in the middle of the dance floor.

It was Aaron, the captain of the football team from back when they were in high school. He had always had a huge thing for Sharpay but he was always too scared to ask her out. Not really scared of her, though others were, as much as how it would affect his reputation to date the ICE QUEEN. _Asshole._ Troy thought to himself. Now that they were adults, Aaron thought that she would just go for- _Unbelievable._ Sharpay took his hand and walked with him to the opposite end of the bar from where Troy was sitting.

They sat there talking for a while, Sharpay letting out a cute giggle every once in a while but obviously not interested in the guy she was talking to or what he was talking about. Troy stood up and walked over to them while Sharpay eyed him awkwardly.

"Umm… Excuse me, Sharpay? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Sharpay nodded suspiciously and got up and excused herself from Aaron's boring grip. Troy led her upstairs to the balcony where they would be safe from potential ex-classmates. No one was outside because of the weather but both Troy and Sharpay loved the cold so it was no big deal for them.

Once they had been standing silently for a few minutes, Sharpay spoke up: "So, did you actually need to talk to me or were you just saving me from the worst conversation I've ever had in my life?" She smiled softly and peered out over the town, not looking at him, but knowing just the same that he was looking at her.

"Mostly the first one; there are some things we need to talk about, but I don't think now is the time to do it." They stopped talking yet again and moments later, Troy checked his watch.

"Shar, it's getting late. I should probably head back to Ryan's house." Troy went to walk off but Sharpay continued talking like she never heard what he said.

"Thanks, Troy… For what you did back there. That was really sweet of you… Especially after I was such a bitch to you this morning." She still didn't look him in the eye, but it was so hard to resist.

"No problem. You would have done the same for me." Sharpay finally turned to look at him and raised her eyebrows at his words. "Okay, well you probably wouldn't have done the same for me, but I told you six years ago that I would always be there to help you out."

"Why can I not stay mad at you, Troy?" she looked into his eyes for the first time tonight and she really thought about it. "You just bug the shit out of me sometimes and yet I can't be mad at you for anything! Do you know how frustrating that is?"

"Actually, I do." It was his turn to raise his eyebrows at her. Sharpay smiled inwardly and took a step forward towards Troy.

"Are you suggesting something Bolton?"

"Maybe I am." He took a step forward this time. With his long stride they were only about eight inches apart at this point.

They stood there for what seemed like a short moment, gazing into each other's eyes. Troy could feel the heat from Sharpay's breath against the harsh cold of the Albuquerque winter. Finally, knowing that what was bound to happen next would be the worst thing that could happen at this moment, Troy spoke: "Do you eat?"

Sharpay started laughing at Troy's stupid question. Troy realized his mistake and corrected himself. "I meant: would you like to eat… with me?"

The corners of Sharpay's mouth turned up and se took a step back form Troy. "Yes, Mr. Bolton. I would very much like to dine with you this evening." She said in a very well sounding British accent; she was an actress after all.

"Correction! This morning…" Sharpay pulled out her phone and '12:01' was flashing on the brightly lit screen. Troy looked out on the town and thought for a second. "Where are we going to eat this late?" Sharpay laughed gently and Troy gave her an odd glance.

"I know just the place…" She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the club and into her RRR (Range Rover Rental… I am going to use the initials instead of writing it out every time…).

**So… I know that this chapter was not long, like at all, but I would rather update something than not at all. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. You HAD to stop at Waffle House?

**Chapter 4**

"Here we are!" Sharpay said as she pulled the RRR into a pretty much deserted parking lot.

"Wow, Shar, I haven't been here in years!" they both got out of the car and walked up to the door, the bright yellow neon sign flashing on their faces in the dark night.

"I know right. I haven't been here since I came with you all that time ago…"

_The rain continued to pour down as Troy Bolton drove down the flooding road. He slowed to a stop next to a familiar car sitting on the side of the road and stepped out of the car, trying to yell for the driver but the storm was too loud. He walked up behind the person and softly placed his hands on their back, obviously frightening them because Troy in turn heard a loud squeal. The driver turned around and her blonde locks were plastered to the side of her face from the harsh rain, and her deep brown eyes glistened from the tears also falling down her face._

"_Sharpay! What are you doing out here?" He waited for a snappy remark but all he got was genuine frustration._

"_My car died and it won't start back up. I don't know what to do!" they were practically screaming in each other's ears to be able to hear._

"_Do you have a flashlight?" she nodded and handed it to him with a questioning look. He peered under the hood, something that Sharpay hadn't even thought of doing, not like she would've gotten anything out of it anyway. As soon as he popped the hood, smoke billowed out. He looked for another moment and then walked back to the girl. "Your radiator is fried; if we try to fix it now in the rain it will kill it completely. Come on, I'll give you a ride and you can come back for it later." _

_Troy noticed that Sharpay Evans wasn't moving away from "her baby" as she put it. He screamed for her a couple of more times but she was being very stubborn. Troy knew he couldn't just leave her outside when it was lightning and thundering, not to mention she was afraid of storms in the first place, so he walked over and picked her up bridal style without warning. By instinct, she clutched onto his neck for safety and hid her face from the rain. She knew she should probably be kicking and screaming for him to put her down but it was kind of nice to be this close to the love of her life._

_Troy opened the passenger door and set Sharpay inside, instructing her to put on her seatbelt. After he walked over to the driver's side, he got in the car and looked in the blonde's direction. "Where to?" _

_Sharpay couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the two of them, soaked and muddy; at least it was warm inside Troy's car. "Anywhere but home. If my dad finds out that I abandoned my car he'll kill me, and if my mother sees me like this, she'll get out the body scrub and loofas." After seeing Troy's confused face, she cleared it up, "it's a lot scarier than it sounds. Trust me."_

_So they drove. But eventually, the storm got so bad that Troy's poor car could hardly stand it. "We have to stop. We can't keep going in this weather." Sharpay nodded so he pulled into a pretty much deserted parking lot. As they ran for the entrance the bright yellow neon sign tinted the raindrops falling down their bodies. Once inside, Sharpay looked around for the first time._

"_You HAD to stop at Waffle House, didn't you?" She raised an eyebrow at him and went to sit down on one of those really uncomfortable wooden booths. _

"_Well, it's the only place around here that's open twenty-four hours, so we really didn't have another choice considering it's almost midnight." Sharpay just huffed and decided to get over it._

"_I think the floor would be more comfortable than this stupid booth." And with that, she got up and sat down on the tile floor against the wall._

_They both sat in silence for about fifteen minutes, just listening to the rain. Troy watched the blonde closely. Every time lightning and thunder would strike she would tense up really badly. So, he got up from the booth and placed himself right next to Sharpay on the ground. Troy took off his own jacket and wrapped around the petite girl, but didn't release his arm from around her. He pulled her closer into him and she immediately sunk in. _

_Like she had earlier when he rescued her, she nuzzled her face into his neck and snuggled up next to him. Troy wrapped both of his arms around her small body and gently whispered into her ear: "it'll all be okay, Shar, it'll all be okay."_

_He ran his fingers through her hair and rubbed her back softly for about half an hour before he noticed her breathing getting steadier and steadier. She had fallen asleep. Troy's attention averted for the first time since he sat on the ground and he noticed that, at some point, the electricity had gone out. 'Oh well' he thought. _

_He gently lay his head down against hers and fell into a deep sleep, holding the girl all through the night._

_The next morning Sharpay was the first to wake. Her eyes softly fluttered open and sunshine flooded them. The rain had finally stopped and it was beautiful outside. She remembered most of the previous night but not all of it. After a couple of minutes, she realized that she wasn't using the cold, hard tile as a pillow like she expected but instead her head was resting on Troy Bolton's chest. It was nice being so close to him once again and being able to feel him breathing underneath her. She pulled Troy's jacket up higher on her body, not wanting this moment to end._

_She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice when his breathing became staggered and he woke abruptly. He smiled when he realized that Sharpay was laying on top of him. Without thinking, he whispered: "Good morning beautiful" softly into her ear. He felt her smile against his chest and respond quietly._

"_Good morning." She didn't even move. Troy began to run his fingers through her hair as he did the night before._

"_How did you sleep?"_

_  
"Perfect." She turned over slightly and lay her chin down on his chest so that she was facing him. _

_With his free hand, Troy pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and checked it. He had seven missed calls from his mother and one from his father. Sharpay checked hers too, which was a challenge while still lying on top of Troy. She had no missed calls. Shocker. Her parents probably weren't even in town and Ryan most likely wasn't home, as usual._

_Troy called his mom back and explained what had happened the night before and, without even asking Sharpay, asked if a friend could go hang out at the house. _

"_What friend?" she asked suspiciously._

"_The one I helped last night. It's someone you know." Troy looked down at Sharpay smiling at him and winked. Troy and Sharpay had been best friends for years before high school._

"_It's alright with me."_

"_Thanks Mom." Troy hung up the phone and looked back at Sharpay. "Are you ready?"_

"_Yep."_

"I remember that night as if it were yesterday." Sharpay said, sitting in the same booth that the two teens sat in over six years ago. Troy started laughing.

"Remember how when I officially asked you out you wouldn't go out with me because you said first dates were corny…"

"Yeah, so we decided to make that night our unofficial first date." They laughed at the memories they had made together so many years before. The two adults sat in silence for a while, until Troy broke it.

"Sharpay, would you like to go out with me sometime...again?" Troy asked nervously with a goofy smile on his face. Sharpay giggled lightly and went to sit next to Troy. She inched closer to him and reached up to place a soft kiss on his lips, which soon turned into a heated make out session in the middle of Waffle House. Sharpay broke it off and looking around, again realized where they were at. She also realized that the dorky teen cashier had been staring at her ever since they walked in.

So nobody else could hear (even though they were the only one's dining in the restaurant), Sharpay leaned over and seductively whispered into Troy's ear: "going back to my place is sounding better and better…" she stood up and pulled Troy out of WH and into the RRR.

On the way back to the Evans' mansion, Troy's hand somehow ended up on Sharpay's upper thigh, but when he reached his targeted destination, the pleasure effect almost made Sharpay crash so Troy decided to wait until they got to the house to be touchy because if he kept on now it could be potentially life-threatening (although he enjoyed it).

When they got to the house, the RRR was quickly parked and the two people entered the house, only waiting for what was about to happen. Troy and Sharpay just stood for a moment, just inches apart, gazing into each other's eyes. All of a sudden, Troy leaned forward and caught her lips in a deep kiss. Sharpay pulled back minutes later and walked up the stairs to the master bedroom, as Troy did the same, following her every move.

He wanted this so badly. It wasn't like they had never done it before; they had done it plenty of times. He just missed being with her; he missed her touch, her kiss, and they way she could always make him smile, no matter what.

As Troy entered the large bedroom, he shut the double doors behind him and walked over to the bed to crawl on top of Sharpay, who was already laid out on the bed. Troy kicked his shoes off and set his cell phone on the nightstand. Not five seconds later it started to ring. Troy huffed and puffed and Sharpay sighed heavily when her flame had to crawl off of her.

Troy flipped open the phone when he saw Ryan's name flashing across the screen. "What?!"

"Dude, where are you? It's like 1:30!"

"Yeah, I know. Dude, I'm a little busy if you catch my drift." It took Ryan a minute but he finally got it.

"Oh, I got ya! You have to tell me all about it tomorrow!"

"You might not want to hear about this one dude… just looking out for ya! I have to go!" Troy hung up the phone and smiled at Sharpay who was laying on the bed looking at him. "I don't think I should tell Ryan about the night I'm about to spend with his twin sister. That could be a little awkward." He crawled back on the bed with Sharpay and kissed her softly and then just gazed into her eyes.

"Just…a little…bit…awkward." Sharpay mumbled out between kisses.

The next thing they knew, clothes were being removed and tossed across the large room. Sharpay was grateful that they were the only two people in the house because she assumed it was pretty obvious what was going on upstairs.

An hour later, Troy and Sharpay were lying in bed, naked, in each other's arms. Neither one of them spoke; they just lay there, listening to the other's breathing. It was one of the best moments of their whole lives.


	5. You'll be mighty uncomfortable

**Here is chapter 5 of CTandOF!!! I have decided that I am going to finish this story on christmas2009. Don't worry though, in the story a whole year will go by at least before it is over… Have no fear! Mighty mouse is here! Haha, well anyway… Please R&R! Luv u all!**

**-Haleigh-**

**Chapter 5**

The next morning, Troy awoke to find that Sharpay wasn't next to him. He sat up in bed just as she walked into the room skipping. She had on boyshorts and a tight tanktop, which didn't leave much to the imagination, not that he needed his imagination anymore.

"Good morning handsome." She sat on the bed next to him and handed him a cup of straight black coffee. She kissed him on the cheek and then took a sip of her own.

"Good morning, and thanks for the coffee. Why are you so chipper so early?" Troy looked at the clock and saw that it was only 7:30.

"Troy! It's Christmas Eve! The best day of the year!"

"But what about Christmas Day? Why is Christmas Eve so special?"

"Because it's when we have our family gathering. Tonight at 7, just like every other year." Troy laughed at how happy she was.

"Well, we better get moving then!" Troy realized that he was still naked under the covers. He blushed and then asked, "Um, can you throw me my boxers?" She did and then they both got up and got ready.

It was 6:30 when Sharpay walked into Ryan's house. Troy had come earlier because all of his clothes were there. They had decided that they wouldn't tell Ryan and Gabriella about them being a couple until the next day but they thought that they should at least act civil towards each other.

So, when Sharpay first saw Troy, she winked at him, and blew him a kiss, going seemingly unnoticed by the rest of the people there. Half way through opening gifts, Sharpay desperately wanted a cocktail so she excused herself to the kitchen, as did Troy soon after. When he walked into the kitchen, Sharpay was drinking straight from the Vodka bottle sitting on the kitchen counter. He walked over to her and took it out of her hands, pulling her in for a hug. "What's wrong?"

"It's our first Christmas without Mom, and it's really hard pretending that everything's okay."

"Shar, you don't have to pretend like everything's okay. It's better to cry and get it out instead of bottling it up inside. That will make you miserable." He let her cry for a minute and when she had mostly stopped, he whispered in her ear, "Look up."

So she did and she saw a bunch of mistletoe hanging from the light fixture. She smiled and leaned down and softly kissed his lips, which soon turned into a heated make out session in her brother's kitchen. Speaking of, they heard someone clear their throat behind them.

"I was just coming to check on you, but I see that you're busy… Oh, and you were right, Troy. I don't think I want to hear about your night last night." He smiled knowingly to himself and walked back out of the room. Sharpay and Troy both laughed and then went into the other room to enjoy the rest of their Christmas Eve.

Later that night, when it was time for bed, Sharpay had decided that she would just stay the night there so that she could watch Max open his presents from Santa in the morning. Sharpay, who was wearing one of Troy's tees, and Troy, who was in his boxers, were arguing about who would take the bed and who would take the couch.

"No, Sharpay, you should take the bed. I promise you that I'll be fine on the couch."

"But, Troy, you're too tall for the couch. You'll be mighty uncomfortable." After about ten minutes of going back and forth, they both decided that Sharpay would take the bed. They subtly kissed goodnight when everyone else had left the room and both went off to bed.

About half an hour later, Sharpay was still lying awake in bed. She quietly crawled out of bed and walked down the hallway to the living room. From where she was standing in the doorframe, it seemed as though Troy was sleeping soundly on the couch, but she knew that he wasn't.

"You know… I was thinking." When she began talking, Troy moved a bit but she still couldn't see his eyes. "That bed in there is awfully big for a small girl like me to be all alone in it. I really wish that I had a big, strong man to keep me company. Oh, but where am I going to find one of those so late at night?" She sighed and walked back into the bedroom where she lay back down in bed. Not a minute later, the bed creaked and she felt Troy wrap his arms around her. She turned around so that they were facing each other.

"Goodnight, Shar." He kissed her forehead as she cuddled with him more.

"Goodnight, Troy." It wasn't five minutes later that both of them were sound asleep.


	6. AND there will be karaoke!

**I am SO SO SO sorry for the long wait and the short update! (haha. that rhymes. :) I am trying to get all of my stories started up again and it's taken a lot out of me. I hope that I still have a few loyal readers hanging on with me! Please please review! I love to you hear what you all have to say, and I definitely take your opinions and ideas into consideration while I'm writing. **

**Love you all!**

**Haleigh**

**Chapter 6**

When Sharpay awoke the next morning, it was to the smell of coffee and a bouncing feeling happening around her. Her eyes opened slowly and she awoke to see Max jumping up and down on the bed while Troy stood laughing in the doorway. She yawned slightly and then gave Troy the evil eye. He turned to Max and told him they'd be in there in a minute to watch him open his gifts from Santa. Troy walked towards the bed, sat the coffee cup down next to Sharpay and laid down next to her.

"Good morning." he smiled at her and tried to look as cute as possible.

"What time is it?" she raised one eyebrow at him just anticipating his answer. Troy looked quickly at his watch and turned back to Sharpay.

"7:15".

Sharpay gave him one last dirty look and covered her face with the comforter. Troy stood up and walked around to the other side of the bed. He pulled back the covers, removed the pillow that was practically glued to her head, and carried her bridal style into the living room. He sat down on the loveseat with her still in his arms and just let her sit there and drink her coffee. It felt nice to have someone to sit with in the mornings after being a bachelor for so long.

About five minutes later, Ryan and Gabriella brought Max into the living room so that he could open his presents. The first thing he opened was a new bike, which he obsessed about for a half hour before he even got to his second gift. This repetitive pattern continued for about the next hour and then it was finally ready to eat breakfast.

They all sat down at the breakfast table in the kitchen and loaded up there plates. After eating for a bit, everyone started to pitch in to the conversation. Sharpay and Troy were telling about their trip to Waffle House the other night and for some unknown reason Troy decided to lean over and give Sharpay a kiss. To that, Max let out a big 'eww' and Sharpay put Max onto her lap. She gave him a big kiss on the cheek to which he got completely grossed out.

"Auntie Shar, that's yucky!" he wiped his cheek off with the back of his hand and wiped the cooties back onto Sharpay. After 'dusting off' his hands, he hopped down and made his way into the other room. Sharpay looked after him and smiled. She looked up to see Gabriella smirking at her and she knew what she was going to say.

"Like I've always told you Shar, you'd be an amazing mother. And, your kids would be beautiful on top of that." Sharpay gave her a slightly annoyed look.

"I know Gabi. I've heard it a thousand times, but the environment I'm in on an everyday basis isn't good for raising children." she stood up and put her plate in the sink. While she was pouring herself more coffee, Troy came up behind her.

"Shar?" she turned around and looked him in the eyes. "Would you come to dinner with me tonight at my parents house? I'm sure they would love to see you again." Sharpay seemed to think about it for a moment. "And I'm sure Baylor misses you after not seeing you for five years."

"Ever thought that maybe she misses you too Troy? It's been five years since you've seen them too. And they're your family." she raised her eyebrows at him to make sure he knew she was serious. "But yes, I will go to dinner with you Troy." he smiled at her thankfully.

"Thank you." he leaned down and kissed her softly. He leaned his forehead on hers and smiled. "Oh, and Shar?"

"Yes Troy?" she looked at him with a look of confusion.

"Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too." she leaned up and kissed him. She meant to pull away but the kiss lasted a little longer than expected. Then they heard off in the background.

"If you two lovebirds will be done anytime soon, we'd like to tell you something." they pulled apart and looked towards Ryan. "We weren't going to bring it up but since you two are civil people again then we thought we'd give it a shot." Gabriella took over.

"There's a party tonight out at the country club. All of our friend from high school will be there. Even Jenna, Ashley, and Jessica will be there Shar. We think that you two should come and see everybody since you both live so far away." she looked at Sharpay and noticed she wasn't being very convincing. "Plus, Sharpay, the pool will be heated, there will be an open bar, AND there will be karaoke."

Sharpay looked at Troy and then back at Gabriella. "We'll be there, but we're going to Troy's parents house for dinner so we might show up a little late." She motioned to Troy for them to leave and go get ready. When they were mostly out of the door, Sharpay turned around.

"Oh, and you guys? In the future, I'd very much appreciate it if you'd let me know ahead of time that you're throwing a party at my country club." she winked at them and then continued out the door.

**Hope everybody liked it, at least a little bit! Please hit that button below and REVIEW! See how much fun that sounds like? 3**


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